Tips + Tricks: How To Start A Blog

Back when all these WordPress talks and blogging jargon were foreign to me, I set out to make my very first free-hosted blog in Blogger with the aim to chronicle my preparations for my little man’s very first birthday. It took me quite a while and loads of tutorials courtesy of Google to learn the ropes and create a post and develop my blog to what it is now.

I was pouring endless hours to learn the ins and outs of Blogger and I was having fun. I joined numerous memes and giveaways, and wanted every single pretty badge I see on my sidebar! I must say I have gone a long way and I ought to give myself a pat on the back for a job well done. Writing is my first love and finding a great avenue for the creative juices is just serendipitous. Finding ways to earn through my blogs is an additional delightful bonus!

So, what factors to consider when starting a blog, you’d ask? Check out these nifty ideas:

Think of a name for your blog. Something that’s catchy and easy to recall will work to your advantage. Remember that this name may or may not be the url for your blog, too, depending on your preference. With regards to the url, consider short phrases or one-word/two-word urls. When I started I got the url, jaredslittlecorneroftheworld.blogspot.com. Quite a mouthful, right? And imagine all the trouble I had to go through to fill out those blogger forms or mention my url to a new-found blogger friend

Choose of a niche or a subject close to your heart. This will very well shaped the directions of where your blog will lead to in the future. It is best to work with your strengths, for example, if you love books and poetry, go for that type of blog, or if you love to eat and cook, settle for a foodie blog. You can always opt to have a mixed bag or a general blog, which will be a smorgasbord of all of your personal interests

Read blogging guides, tutorials, and videos. It is best to come prepared and armed, do this by getting as much knowledge and information about the subject. If you have blogger friends, all the better, since you can always go them for tips and tricks, but study on your own, too.Tutorials are easy enough to understand, so read, read, read!

Choose whether you’d like to have a self-hosted blog or go for a free blog. Either way is good, depending on your pockets, if you’d go for your own domain and a self-hosted blog, you will have to shell out a few dollars to do so. If you cannot afford it yet, you can always settle for free domain and hosting offered by Blogger, WordPress or the likes. You can always transfer to your own self-hosted domain when you are ready!

Blog away. Blogging takes heart and dedication, so be sure to miss a few precious nights’ of sleep while tinker on your blog and update it as often as you can and get your thoughts out there into the brave new world!

Traffic, monetizing and gazillions of followers will come to you in due time, meanwhile, get those keyboards and fingers working and prepare for some serious elbow grease.